Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCSDC has uncovered a camp of illegal immigrants allegedly involved in fraudulent network marketing, human trafficking, extortion and human rights abuses in the Torikoh area of Badagry.
This is just as the Command also arrested four suspects and rescuing 17 victims in what the agency described as a major operational breakthrough.
The operation, carried out on Thursday, May 7, 2026, followed what the Command described as credible intelligence on the activities of a cross-border syndicate allegedly engaged in luring unsuspecting victims into Nigeria under false pretences.
According to the Lagos State Command of the NSCDC, the suspects, comprising three Togolese nationals and one Beninese national. were arrested during a coordinated raid, while 17 victims, including 12 males and five females aged between 25 and 35, were rescued from the camp.
The Command disclosed that investigations revealed the victims were allegedly recruited through Facebook by a Togolese suspect who promised them employment opportunities and better living conditions in Nigeria.
However, upon arrival, the victims were reportedly compelled to register for a fraudulent internet marketing scheme and subjected to extortion after the promised jobs failed to materialise.
The NSCDC further alleged that the syndicate operated a network marketing structure involving “up lines” and “down lines,” with intending members allegedly required to pay 650,000 CFA as registration fees before participating in the scheme.
According to the Command, some of the products associated with the operation were suspected to have been imported from Malaysia through channels yet to be verified.
In a dramatic twist, the agency said the suspects allegedly attempted to bribe operatives with 130,000 CFA during the operation, but the offer was rejected and subsequently documented as part of the exhibits linked to the case.
Other exhibits recovered from the suspects included an HP laptop, mobile phones, files, QNET letter-headed papers, leather bags and pharmaceutical items allegedly used on victims.
The Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, warned perpetrators of human trafficking, fraud and related crimes to desist or face the full weight of the law.
He stated that intelligence gathered during the operation indicated that the syndicate operated camps in Aradagun, Mowo, Badagry Town and Limca areas of Badagry.
According to him, two additional camps linked to the syndicate had already been identified, although suspects reportedly fled before operatives arrived.
“The discovered camps will also be sealed by the Command to end such crimes from growing and destroying social and financial integrity in our society,” the Command stated.
The NSCDC also linked the operation to broader cross-border criminal activities similar to cases recently uncovered in other West African countries, including Ghana, where hundreds of victims were reportedly rescued from trafficking syndicates.
To strengthen inter-agency collaboration, the Lagos NSCDC Command directed that the suspects and rescued victims be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Command assured residents that investigations were ongoing to identify collaborators, determine the full extent of the syndicate’s operations and bring all those connected with the crimes to justice.
